Crane type charger



April 25, 1933. J WADD 1,905,195

CRANE TYPE CHARGER Filed Oct. 24. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNE Y.

April 25, 1933. R DD 1,905,195

CRANE TYPE CHARGER Filed Oct. 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y.

- and carries them to the cupola.

Patelled Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE LOT 3'. WAIDD, 0] KILWA'UKEE, WISCONSIN, tASSIGNOB IO 4 mm coarom- .l'ION, 0] IIIIWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A. CORPORATION 01 enema urn camera Application filed October 24, 1929. Serial 80. 402,293.

This invention relates in general to hoistin mechanism and more particularly to hoisting. mechanism of that type especially designed for use as a cupola c arger.

In char 'ng cupolas the char ing material is loaded into buckets having rop bottoms or dump bottoms and the hoisting mechanism picks up these buckets, elevates them During the travel of the bucket from the place at which it ,is loaded to the cupola, it is mperative that the hoisting mec anism not only' support the bucket body but also hold thedrop bottom closed so as to retain the material 1n the bucket. However, when the bucket is entered into the cupola it is desirable to drop the bottom and consequently discharge the contents of the bucket into the cupola. This operation and control of the bucket and its drop bottom in an easy, practical and reliable manner, has long presented a difficult and serious problem and while various expedients have been proposed none have been found to measure up to all the requirements of the problem.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a cupola charger in which the hoisting mechanism automatically exerts a positive lift on both the drop bottom and the bucket body during hoistin traveling and lowering and so exerts this lifting action as to positively retain the drop bottom closed. However in the cupola the hoisting mechanism is readily operable to lower the drop bottom while holding the bucket body stationary whereby to effect dumping or discharge of the contents of the bucket into the cupola.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of a cupola charger having these advantages and capacities and which is speedy and eflective in operation, easily controllable and yet so simple and compact in its construction as to be adapted to embodiment at a comparatively slight exexpense in the various types of cupola chargers.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more any described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompan ing drawings forming a part of this spec' cation, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one type of cupola charger embodying the present invention; 7

i re 2 is a detail view in elevation showing t e hoisting mechanism organized with thebucket and its drop bottom; and

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, parts being shown iii-elevation for the sake of illustration.

Referring to the drawings and especially to Fi e 1, it will be seen that the cupola 1 has t e usual charging opening 2. A traveling crane 3 operates adjacent the cupola and has the usual motor driven traveling bridge 4 movable along tracks 6 and providing a. support for a motor driven traveling truck 7. A frame work 8 is suspended from the truck 7 and carries an arm 9 adapted to be pro ected into the charging opening of the on ola, as shown in full lines in Figure 1.

ne of the buckets employed for charging the cupola is shown to advantage in Figure 2, and, as illustrated, includes a bucket body 10 e nipped with a conical dro bottom 11. The dy 10 is provided with iametrically opposed headed trunnions 12 adapted to be engaged with and suspended on hooks 13 carried on the ends of a yoke or cross piece 14. The'drop bottom 11 is secured to the lower end of a hanger rod 15, the upper end of which is provided with a loop or bail 16- adapted to be engaged with a hook 17 supported on a yoke or cross bar 18. Hoisting lines 20 are connected to the ends of the yoke 18 and ass freely through openings provided in t a yoke 14 and after being reeved around guide pulleys rovided therefor on the arm 9 extend up to oisting drums 24, the lines 20 being anchored to and wrapped around the drums 24. A hoisting line 25 is provided for the bucket body 10 and has its intermediate portion extended around a pulley 26 rotatably supported between the spaced members of t e yoke 14.

The line 25 is also guided over suitable pulleys carried by the arm 9 and passes a drum 27, the ends of the hue 25 mg wrapped around and secured to the end portions of the drum 27 As shown to advantage in Figure 2 the drums 24 are keyed as at 28 to a shait 29 and the drum 27 is loosely mounted on the shaft 29 in between the drums 24. Suitable bearings for. the shaft are carried by the truck 7 but are not shown as these are well known in the art. A motor 30, usually an electric motor, is geared to the shaft 29 or to one of the drums 24 and operates to positively drive these drums in either direction. The drum 27 is driven from the drums 24 by means of lugs 35 and 36 secured to the drums 24 and drum 27, respectively. These lugs 35 and 36 are eccentrically disposed with respect to the common axis of rotation of the drums 24 and 27 and they are positioned and adapted to engage each other as shown in Figures 2 and 3 so that the lugs 35 have driving relation with the lugs 36 during hoisting movements and are also engaged with the lugs 35 to control the lowerln speed of the drum 27. It is to be note however, that the drums 24 may move a limited distance in a lowering direction while the drum 27 is held stationary.

For holding the drum 27 stationary the central portion of the drum is provided with an enlargement constituting a brake drum 40. A brake band 41 is cooperable with the brake drum 40. The band 41 may be controlled in any well known manner. It may be controlled after the fashion of the ordinary hand brake or it may be controlled by means of a tor ue motor or by a solenoid. For the sake 0 example, a solenoid control is shown.

As illustrated in Figure 3, one end of the band is anchored as at 43 on a structural member of the traveling truck 7 and the other end is connected to a rod 44 having an adjustable connection as at 45 with one arm of a weighted lever 46. The weight of the lever biases the brake to released position. For appl ing the brake a solenoid 47 is provided an has its core or plunger 48 connected b a link 49 to the lever 46, so that when t e solenoid is ener ized and the core is ulled to the right, as s own in Figme 3, t e lever 46 will be rocked to app the brake. Upon de-energization of the solenoid, the weighted lever 46 automatically releases the brake. An adjustable stop screw 46' limits the brake releasing movement of lever 46.

In operation, when the bucket is being hoisted, the motor 30 is driving the drum 24 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3, so that the lugs 35 on the drums 24 are behlnd and engaged with the lugs 36 on the drum 27. Consequently the drums 24 and 27 apply synchronized lifting action to the bucket body 10 and drop bottom 11.

When the bucket is positioned in the cupola, as shown in Figure 1, and it is desired to discharge the contents of the bucket into the cupola, the brake band 41 is applied and the motor is reversed to impart lowering bottom 11 lowers, thereby efiecting discharge of the contents of the bucket. Reverse movement of the drums 24 will bring the lugs back into engagement with the lugs 36 and elevate the drop bottom 11 to closed position. It is to be noted that if the lugs 35 and 36 are engaged with the brake applied no damage w1ll result as under such circumstances the drive of the motor and the consequent turning movement of the drum 27 will tend to automatically release the brake. This prevents overloading of the motor.

The motor 30 is regulated in its action by an ordinary reversing controller C, so that all the operator need do to carry out ordinary hoisting and lowering operations is to manipulate the controller C in the conventional manner. When the bucket is in the cupola and it is desirable to dump or discharge the contents thereof, the operator first mani ulates the brake to apply the brake band 41 and thereby hold the drum 27 stationary. As a consequence, when the controller C is thrown over on the lowering side the drums 24 will be driven downwardly to lower the bucket bottom 11 while the body 10 of the bucket is held stationary. After the contents of the bucket have been dumped, the bottom 11 is raised by throwing the controller C over to the hoisting side and after the bottom 11 has been raised to the osition shown in Figure 2, the brake is re eased to permit of hoisting and lowering in the ordinary manner.

It is to be understood that'the invention is shown embodied in one type of cupola charger for purposes of illustration or example only. The'invention is equall well adapted for embodiment in the well own monorail type or in any other type of equipment adapted for this purpose.

The invention claimed is:

1. A hoisting mechanism adapted for use with a bucket having a body and a drop bottom, saidmechanism comprisin raising and lowering drums for the bucEet body and the drop bottom, respectively individual cables connecting the bucket bod and the drop bottom to their respective rums, said drums being mounted for relative rotation and disposed in axial alinement with their opposed ends in closely s aced relation, 8. power drive for one of the rums, lugs between the opposed ends of the drums and carried thereby, said lugs constituting the driving connection between the drums and disposed in eccentric relation to the common axis of rotation of the drums and in the path of each other whereby the drums may be rotated in unison through the power furnished to one of the drums for raising and lowering the bucket body and its drop bottom in closed relation or the power driven drum may be rotated relatively to the other drum for raising and lowering the drop bottom independently of the bucket body when its drum is held against rotation, and a manually controllable means for holding the last mentioned drum against rotation while the other drum is rotated with respect thereto.

2. A hoisting mechanism adapted for use with a bucket having a body and a drop bottom, said mechanism comprising a shaft, :1 pair of drums keyed to said shaft in spaced relation along the same, a third drum loose on the shaft between the keyed drums, cables connecting the keyed drums to the drop bottom, a cable connecting the loose drum to the bucket body, a power drive for one of the keyed drums, lugs between the opposed ends of the drums and carried thereby, said lugs constituting the driving connection between the drums and disposed in eccentric relation to said shaft and arranged in the path of each other whereby the drums may be rotated in unison through the power furnished to one of the drums for raising and lowering the bucket body and its drop bottom in closed relation or the keyed drums may be rotated relatively to th' loose drum for raising and lowering the drop bottom independently of the bucket body when the loose drum is held against rotation, and a manually controllable brake device for holding the loose drum against rotation while the keyed drums are rotated with respect thereto.

In witness whereof, I hereto afiix my signature.

ROY J. WADD. 

